Part of your world
by kyootness
Summary: Loosely based on The Little Mermaid. Lovina is a grumpy mermaid princess who fell for Antonio, a cheerful life-guard, and seeks the help of Arthur, the Sea Warlock, in order to obtain human legs. But Arthur didn't help her just for the fun of it... AU
1. Chapter I

_Sooo... another fic. This times, I'm taking you underwater. And guess what- it's a genderbend story. Yep. Lovino and Feli are girls here, but that's just about it. I know, I know. It's just that in my headcanon, Feli is a girl, and Lovi usually is too. So, I hope this won't put you off from reading! _

* * *

><p>Feli and Ludwig had no idea what was wrong with Lovina. It was two weeks that she kept disappearing for an hour, and in that hour, no matter how much they looked for her, they just couldn't find her. As if she vanished from the sea for an hour every day.<p>

And since Nonno Roma, aka Neptune, King of the Oceans, had noticed too, he had given them both the task of finding out what his eldest grand-daughter was up to.

Ludwig sighed in resignation as he and Feli took a short break.

"We're never going to find out what she does. She's just not here."

Feli scooted closer to Ludwig and entwined her green tail with Ludwig's yellow one.

He blushed a bit, but was secretely happy of the contact. As long as the King didn't find out...

"Ve, if I didn't know it was impossible, I'd just say that Lovina goes to the surface when we can't find her..."  
>Suddenly, Ludwig stiffened and took Feli's shoulders. "... what did you say!"<p>

Feli looked a bit taken aback, but she shrugged and said "... ve, just that it looks like Lovina goes to the... OH!"

They looked at each other for a second before swimming very fast upwards. Ludwig cursed under his breath all the while. If Lovina really was on the surface, it would spell big fucking trouble. Really big and really fucking.

* * *

><p>Lovina swam hard to the surface. Today that guy would show up again on that floating device. Probably his stupid friend would come along for the ride, but who cared. As long as she could see him... not that she really wanted to! It's just... it was so warm, and dry in the surface...<p>

Lovina thought there was something very wrong with her. Of all the merfolk she knew, it seemed that no one had problems living in the water. Of course, why would they? They were merfolk. Born to be in the water. That was their house.

But Lovina always, always felt so cold, and wet, and uncomfortable, and in the dark. She could never remember a day where she had felt actually warm. She just didn't fit in with her kin. That was why she had decided to come and see what the surface looked like. At first, she had been completely terrified at the thought of her nonno finding her out, but then...

… then the sun was shining so bright, and it was so warm on her skin...

And when that human happened to be there too, her heart would stubbornly beat so fast that she felt like diyng.

But also very happy.

She finally broke the surface, and perched herself on her favourite rock, that could allow her to see without being seen.

And there he was. His windswept dark curls, his sunny smile...

Lovina leaned a little more to her rock. It had just been two weeks since she saw him first, but from the very first day she had started going to the surface everyday, just to get a glimpse of him.

He was so beautiful. So heart-wrenchingly beautiful.

Lovina shook her head. She could admit that he was beau... cute, but he was also oblivious. And always smiling like he hadn't a worry in the world.

Lovina sighed. Just watching him would be enough. She just hoped nonno didn't find out about her surface escapades. Or she would be in a sea of trouble.

* * *

><p>"Look what I found today when I was going through my old stuff!"<p>

Antonio, who was simply liyng in the sun on his boat, looked up. Francis was holding something in his hand. A picture.

"Hey! This is such a cool picture! It's from when we started working here for the summer! How nostalgic..."

Antonio took the picture in his hands. It was a black and white picture of him, the day he had started working as a life-guard at the beginning of summer. He smiled and pocketed it.

"Gracias, Francis. I didn't even know I had one! Pictures are so difficult to come by!"

Francis gave his usual smouldering smile. "I know, I know. But it's cool to have a picture taken once in a while. Or esle how am is the world supposed to remember how gorgeous I look now when I'll be old?"

Antonio laughed and shrugged. He looked at the sky. His merry expression morphed into a worried frown.

"We shouldn't stay out too much today, anyway. Look at the sky. There's going to be a storm today, that's for sure..."

Francis looked up and frowned. "Don't worry, we just have an hour anyway. Lunch break is too much of a blessed time to spend it right in the workplace, right?"

Antonio shrugged. Alright then.

"So, Antonio. I saw you getting all snuggly with Belle yesterday night..."

Antonio blushed. "You got it wrong! It was her that was getting so close! I told her to stay away, but she wouldn't listen! For a moment there I thought she was gonna rape right on the steps!"

Francis laughed out loud. "iMon ami, you could have let her. She's cute and everything! It's true you guys broke up, but if she wants you so much still, then just go along with it!"

Antonio shook his head. "No. I can't keep seeing her if I don't love her."

This time, Francis laughed. "Oh Toni, you really should get all that romantic thoughts out of the way, so you can have a nice roll in the hay before you decide to tell Belle that you weren't meant to be!"

Antonio was going to reply with something, when the boom of a thunder made the two friends look up at the sky.

"Well, _merde_."

* * *

><p>Lovina was still hidden behind her rock when a storm came. She looked at the boat. N-not like she was worried about that Antonio guy or anything...!<p>

Suddenly, a strong wave made her fall from her rock. As she tried to swim back to the surface, she saw Antonio fall in the water and hit his head hard against the hull of his boat before fainting and be at the sea's mercy.

"ANTONIO!"

Shit, shit! Antonio had fallen overboard! Francis turned around frantically to see if someone could help them, but there was no one...

He took a deep breath. He had to dive. He had to look for Antonio!

Francis dived, albeit shakily. The sea was too agitated, but he couldn't leave Antonio! He went deeper and looked for Antonio until he noticed that the sea current was claiming their boat. Without it, the both of them would simply drown. He had to swim back to it, or they would all be dead! Then once on the boat, he could anchor it and keep looking Antonio safely.

Lovina didn't waste a single second. Before the other guy even realized that Antonio had fallen in the water, Lovina had reached him and had swam him as fast as she could to the shore, which was thankfully empty, and dragged Antonio ashore.

* * *

><p>Feli and Ludwig were still struggling a bit with the underwater currents caused by the storm, but what they saw in front of their eyes was something that they could never forget. Lovina had reascued a human from drowning.<p>

Lovina _had rescued_ _a_ _human_ from drowning.

_Lovina _had rescued a human from drowning.

Lovina had rescued a human from drowning!

Ludwig was already starting to look for excuses to come up with for his Majesty, whereas Feli's jaw was touching the bottom.

* * *

><p>Lovina stayed at Antonio's side for a while, just looking at him. He was plain gorgeous. He was so beautiful. He looked so amazing.<p>

He was breathing, but since water wasn't all that good for humans, she decided to sing for him. The mermaid's songs had different powers, and one of them was healing. Without thinking twice about it, she started to sing to him. A song about how much she'd love to be able to leave the cold water behind and live in the sun, by the side of someone with dark curls and green, green eyes.

* * *

><p>Antonio felt like someone had smashed his head forcefully against the ground. And his throat was completely raw, and he didn't have the strength to even open his eyes. It was then that he heard a girl sing to him. But it was not just any song. It was... otherworldly. A kind of voice that could not be described...<p>

he felt a hand on his cheek. He instictively reached for it with his own, and opened his eyes. He couldn't focus on anything... but in front of him, there seemed to be a girl... but the sun was just behind her, so he couldn't tell what she looked like...

But then he heard Francis' voice call him in the distance.

* * *

><p>As soon as she heard the voices of his stupid friend, Lovina looked one last time at the half-fainted man in front of her before silently slipping back into the water.<p>

"Your Majesty, how could you do that! Are you crazy!"

Lovina jumped out of her skin. She turned around and what she saw made her think just one word.

Fuck.

Her sister and their guardian, Ludwig, were there. And by the astonished look on their face, they had seen her crime.

Feli, her sister, looked on the verge of tears. Ludwig looked like he couldn't find words big enough to match his thoughts. But he tried nonetheless.

"Princess, this is a crime! No, a sin! When your grandfather hears about this...!"

Lovina's breath caught in her throat.

"You bastard! You're never telling nonno what I did! It's a secret!" then she added in a more pleading tone "I won't do it anymore! I swear!"

Feli was now crying. "B-but ve, Lovi, you have saved a _human_! From drowning! How could you, ve! That's... that's just... and you've been coming to the surface! Oh God, ve, if nonno knew, he'd kill you, then us, then he would have a stroke! Ve!"

Lovina swallowed. "...if I promise to never return to the surface, will you bastards just get off my case?"

Ludwig was ready to start a long, long rant when Feli cut him off. "Ve, yes! But you have to promise! You have to swear!"

Lovina looked at the bottom in defeat. "...fine."

* * *

><p>Because I have been wanting to read something about mermaids, but the hetalia fandom doesn't have a lot, so I decided to write a story. I hope you'lllike it. Again, it's already finished, and it will update once every three or four days. It's also pretty loosely based on the Disney version. Enjoy!<p> 


	2. Chapter II

_So. I've been writing a lot of Lovina/Lovino lately. I don't know, I never used to like him, because he's so damn unpleasant and foul-mouthed. But as I started writing him, I started to like his character. He has a lot of potential for gloomy stories, and Antonio is just the perfect counter-balance for him, always so cheerful. By the way, Lovi and Feli are the only characters that don't really change when you genderswap them XD_

* * *

><p>Antonio had no idea what had happened. A singing girl had saved him, that was nearly sure. He couldn't be one hundred percent positive though, since he had nearly died and there was too much sun in his eyes to see clearly. And besides, Francis said that he had been alone on the beach, that he was probably just washed ashore by the waves...<p>

But he couldn't stop thinking back of that girl. He just knew her voice, but he would recognize it anywhere. And when he heard that wonderful, wonderful voice again, he would finally know what happened. And he would get to the bottom of the matter.

Oh, and maybe he could tell the girl to give back his heart.

* * *

><p>Lovina stopped swimming to the surface, but her mood changed dramatically. Before, she had always been bitchy and ready to talk back to everyone. Now she just swam around all day, trying not to think too much of the oblivious idiot she'd saved. She knew that saving a human from drowning was a serious crime. Nonno had established some really strict rules concerning landwalkers. He said that in his long life he had seen too many problems arise because of the humans, and had decided that any contact between them and merpeople had to be punished. And of course, saving a landwalker from drowning was even worse. A major offense.<p>

Lovina swallowed. If nonno knew, he'd kill her.

But still, she couldn't feel guilty. The more she thought about it, the more she was convinced that she had done the right thing. And besides... Antonio had touched her hand!

* * *

><p>Ludwig was swimming around with Feli. As much as he found Lovina unsufferable and a constant source of worrying, he could not say the same of her twin sister. She was just so sweet, so kind, so beautiful and so not snarky. She always got in trouble and was always scared about this or that, but he could not, for the life of him, think bad of her. And that was one thing that could make King Neptune very angry. Now, add the fact that Lovina had saved a landwalker (<em>a human, for God's sake!<em>) and the King would gladly have Ludwig's fishy ass for breakfast. And lunch. And possibly dinner.

"Vee, Ludwig. You look really troubled..."

Ludwig turned to look at Feli. He sighed. "It's... uhm... nothing. I just wish we could make Princess Lovina realize what she's done. And possibly stop her from thinking about that landwalker..."

Feli sighed too. "Ve, we should just give it some time... it will be alright... hopefully."

Ludwig wanted to say something to that, when he noticed a shadow above him. He looked up and his heart nearly stopped. Princess Lovina was swimming upwards.

Ludwig suddenly sat up and exchanged a worried glance with Feli.

"Ve, she's too far already! Come on, we have to get away form here! Ve, we have to look for a way to cover for Lovina!"

"Cover her for what?"

That voice made both Ludwig and Feli scream in surprise. And when they turned around, the mighty King of All Oceans was right behind them, his deep red tail sparkling, his auburn curls caught in the sea, smiling good-naturedly.

* * *

><p>Lovina could barely contain her excitement. It was true that she had promised to never go back to the surface, but surely one little small peek at the world above could not hurt, right? No one had to know...<p>

And besides, she had found something in her cavern today that made all previous promises simply disappear from her mind.

It was the thing that Antonio's friend had called "picture". She didn't really know what it was, but it was simply amazing. It was a grey representation of Antonio. A little, mute, unmoving Antonio, forever stuck with a sunny smile on his face and his curls in the wind.

If she could see him just once again... just once...

She broke the surface and took an unnecessary deep breath. It was nighttime, but her mermaid's eyes were used to the dark, so it was not a problem. She swam underwater until she reached the dock where Antonio always anchored his "boat" and she wrapped her arms and tail around it, wishing to just be able to jump on top of the dock and go looking for Antonio. She hoped he still remembered her. Not that she would talk to him or anything! She just wanted to see him! Honest!

* * *

><p>Antonio got out of the restaurant. He took a deep sigh of relief. Finally a pause. He was working as a life-guard during the day, and at nights he would work as a waiter. Life was tough, but he needed to work. There were rumours about a fascist takeover that could happen anytime now, so his work was used to make contacts that could be useful later, when they had to actually fight against them...<p>

Sighing, he walked to the dock and sat down there. Only, when he let his weight fall on the wood, he heard a definite yelp coming from somewhere beneath him.

* * *

><p>Lovina clenched the pole with all of her strength, so much that her tail made the wood creak. Antonio was there! Antonio was sitting just above her! He was dangling his feet just in front of her face! Oh God! Oh God! What could she do! ? What should she do! ?<p>

"Oh hey, I thought I heard something... what are you doing there?"

Lovina nearly died when she saw Antonio's face peek from the dock. Thank God for the dark. Antonio could just see her hands clutching at the wood. Everything else was completely covered by the merciful night. But Lovina's relief was short-lived. She mustn't speak! Whatever happened, she mustn't speak to him!

Suddenly Antonio's face became brighter. "Hey, you remind me of someone!"

All of Lovina's restraint literally melted right then. Still hidden in the dark, she spoke with such urgency and hope in her voice that Antonio was a bit taken aback.

"You bastard! You better remember, I didn't drag your sorry landwalker's ass ashore just so you could forget about it!"

Antonio laughed. Such harsh words, but such a sweet voice... it had to be her!

"I'm so happy you're real! I knew you were! What's your name?"

Lovina was really tempted to tell him, but she couldn't. Talking to him was already a crime, but telling him her name? It was sadly not an option. "... I'm not telling you my name, bastard..."

Antonio frowned a bit. "But why? I'm sure it's a beautiful na..."

"ANTONIO! YOUR PAUSE WAS OVER TEN MINUTES AGO! COME BACK, YOU LAZY BASTARD!"

Antonio jumped up and shouted back "COMING!"

Then he turned back to look at the hands of the girl. With a swift move, he took one of them and kissed it.

Lovina thought that now she could die happy.

"Come back here, tomorrow night! I'll be waiting for you!" he said urgently.

Lovina's heart suddenly clenched. She had already broken her promise once. She couldn't do it twice... "I... I can't..."

Antonio didn't let it go. Neither the matter at hand and nor the hand in itself.

"Please! Now I can't, but tomorrow, okay? I'll be waiting! I really will be!"

Lovina gave in. "... ok, bastard... I'll be there..."

"ANTONIO GODDAMMIT, GET A MOVE ALREADY!"

She didn't know if Antonio had smiled or not, but he gave her a firmer squeeze on her hand and said "I can't wait! See you!" before running away as fast as he had come.

* * *

><p>Lovina swam back to her cavern very fast. Oh God! Antonio had spoken to her! He had touched her and kissed her hand! He said he wanted to see her again! Suddenly, the fact that she was a mermaid, or the laws against human contact didn't seem so important anymore. As long as nonno didn't know anything about it... she shrugged and finally sat down in her cavern, taking the picture and clutching it to her chest.<p>

She couldn't even end her thoughts, when her nonno showed up in her cavern. And she was still holding Antonio's picture in her hands.

Talk about being caught red-handed.

"Nonno!"

Nonno didn't look like the good-natured, smiley merman that he usually was. He looked like he was ready to strangle something. And Lovina knew who that something was.

"I like to think of myself as a civil merman. I established some rules. And I expect those rules to be followed by EVERYONE!"

When nonno raised his voice, Lovina started looking for a place to hide. How could nonno have found out! ?

"Is it true that you saved a drowning _human_?"

He asked that question really calmly, but Lovina saw right through it. Ludwig and Feli! They had told her secret!

"... I had to do it! He would have died!"

Nonno gave a joyless laugh. "Oh yes, that sure would have been a fucking tragedy, uh? Just one less human to worry about! They're all the same, they're a bunch of uncivilized barbarians, incapable of thinking and fe..."

"But nonno, I love him!"

Ludwig and Feli, who had been watching the scene from a safe location, held their breath.

Lovina had lost it.

Lovina realized immediately the gravity of what she said. Her nonno was stuck without words. He had no idea what to say. But not for long.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND! HE'S A HUMAN! YOU'RE A MERMAID!"

Lovina clutched the picture to her chest and closed her eyes.

"I don't care."

The look in nonno's eyes could have killed someone. He stayed silent for a moment.

"... Then I'm sorry, Lovina. But you need someone to show you your place, and if I have to punish you for that to happen... then BE IT!"

Lovina had never been scared of her nonno. But now he had swam fast as lightning to her, slapped her really hard and wrenched the picture out of her hands, destroying it with his trident.

"No! Why have you..."

"SHUT UP!" he gave her another slap and grabbed her hair, pulling it hard. Then he said in a lethal whisper "You are NEVER to go to the surface or see a landwalker EVER AGAIN. I hope I made it clear enough for you."

With that, he swam away, revealing two very guilty looking merfolk in his wake.

Lovina locked eyes with the both of them. But she was too desperate to get angry. She turned around and said "Get the fuck out of here."

Feli was crying. She swam closer to her and said "Ve, Lovi, I swear, we didn't mean to..."

Lovina whipped around fast and snarled, showing her teeth.

"I SAID OUT, GODDAMMIT!"

Feli winced as if Lovina had actually hit her. She turned around, grabbed Ludwig's hand and swam out of the way. Lovina was right to be angry. They had given out her secret. They had betrayed her. They couldn't blame her if she never wanted to see them again.

* * *

><p>Arthur could barely contain his excitement. That little idiot, the eldest grand-daughter of King Neptune had fallen in love with a landwalker! Oh, that was just too easy... he had been keeping an eye on the little mermaid for some time, seeing that merfolk that can't fit in were his biggest source of income. And he had wanted to get revenge on Neptune for some time now... ever since he had conquered his parts of the sea and banished him. But... if he could get that Lovina to make a deal with him...<p>

Arthur could barely contain the thrill that ran through his body, from head to tentacles. He straightened the look on his face and called.

"Gilbert! Elizaveta!"

Two merfolk showed up from the darkest room of the cavern. One with a dark blue tail, the other dark purple. They were his favourite minions, those two...

"Yes, boss? You called?" said Elizaveta, the blue-tailed one.

Arthur tried to suppress a maniacal laugh.

"Yes indeed. I have a little job for you to do. I want you to bring the eldest princess here. But do not force her. She has to swim here on her own fins, is that clear?"

Gilbert, the purple tailed one, huffed. "But that's just so boring, boss. We could just..."

Elizaveta stopped her "colleague" before he got in trouble. "It's okay, boss. We're going now."

Arthur gave a calculating smile. "No, wait, let me make this clear. If you manage not to screw this one up, I could get in a... uhm, forgetful mood, Gilbert, Elizaveta, my dear children. Do you know what I mean?"

Gilbert and Elizaveta's ears perked up in hope. A forgetful mood...?

"You will end our deal! ?"

"You will give us freedom! ?"

Arthur swam between them and used his tentacles to hug them and turn their faces to his.

"Oh, freedom, such a big, overrated word. But yes. If this poor, unfortunate soul will act as I plan, then I will be the King of All Oceans. And then the two of you could be free, because I will have enough minions to last me a lifetime... and I could happen to forget about those two particular poor, unfortunate souls... if you catch my drift."

Gilbert swallowed and looked at his partner. Then he gave a confident smile.

"You got it, boss. Leave it to us!"

* * *

><p><em>And so. I thought really hard on who to make the sea witchwarlock. It could have been Russia, with the Baltics as lackeys, but the idea of Arthur wanting to own an empire was just too tempting. And I put Gilbert & Elizaveta as minions, because I can. Yes, I have a huge fangirl thing for PruHun XD_

_Also, I added a few moments that weren't in the original, so that the story could be slower paced and more focused on feelings. _

_Can you feel the internal conflicts yet? XD_

_PS I tried to imagine this story with a human Lovina and a merman Antonio, but it turned out so goddamn cheerful and not edgy at all ngggh Antonio you cheery bastard, way to ruin my dark mood!_


	3. Chapter III

Elizaveta swam as fast as she could. It looked as if Gilbert was really excited and planning to make a good job of that. Elizaveta sighed. She really wished they didn't have to lure poor, unfortunate merfolk to Arthur, but they couldn't do otherwise. Because back in the day, both her and Gilbert had been stupid enough to get literally tangled in a deal with Arthur. They had been so foolish. How could have Elizaveta been so stupid... a pact with Arthur to get a merman to notice her and love her... of course it couldn't work. And she had been lucky that Arthur had just lost one of his minions, so he had been willing to exchange a life as seaweed into a sentence of eternal obedience. And then she met Gilbert. He had been lured in a deal about strength. Gilbert had wanted to be the strongest of them all, to show people who was boss, and now he was just the lackey of a psychotic warlock. But a positive thing, if Elizaveta or Gilbert could use such a big word, was meeting each other. They felt as if they were each other's godsend. To have someone to talk to, and not be alone for eternity. At least, having each other made their eternal damnation a bit more tolerable. Though none of them would ever say that out loud.

"Gilbert, damn you, slow down! You're getting ahead of yourself again!"

Gilbert grudgingly slowed his pace. "Well, we just have to get the princess and bring her back. Surely we're awesome enough to not need a plan for just that?"

Elizaveta sighed for the upteenth time. "You idiot, we can't force her! She has to come on her own free will. We have to think about what to say, or we can kiss goodbye to freedom, Gil. So please. A plan."

Gilbert got a dreamy smile, then shook his head and said "I'm sorry, you lost me at 'own free will'".

Elizaveta facepalmed.

* * *

><p>Lovina was crying her eyes out over the damp remains of what used to be a picture. Nonno had found out. Nonno had gone berserk. She could never see Antonio again. Right when she had managed to talk to him...<p>

"You poor, poor mermaid..."

Lovina started. She looked up, wiped off her tears and shakily asked "Who's there?"

At her question, two dark tailed merfolk came out of the shadow. One had eyes of blazing red, the other had beautiful, long, flowing chestnut hair. The one with the longer hair looked kind and sad. The other just looked really impatient.

The quiet one talked again.

"Do not worry, Princess. We've heard of your... ordeal with the King. He just doesn't understand, does he?"

Lovina didn't say a word and kept her eyes trained on the two.

The long haired one swam to her, circling her as she spoke.

"Oh, what a poor mermaid. With no one that could possibly help... eh, Gil?"

The other merman gave a low whistle. "Actually Lizavet, I think I know someone awesome who could help this poor, sad child in need!"

The blue tailed mermaid kept swimming really close to Lovina. Who was feeling on the verge of fainting. Someone that could help? Ah. Yeah. Sure.

"Oh, right! You're talking of Arthur, aren't you?"

Lovina's cool blood froze in her veins. "Arthur! The sea warlock!"

Gilbert ignored her scared expression. "Of course, sister! Who else can make something like this happen? Being with your prince charming forever, that's a big wish. But you can get it, I guess. Arthur's powers are crazy, you'll see, he'll help you!"

Lovina was still scared shitless. "... j-just go away, dammit! No one can help!" with that, she swam back on the bottom of her cavern and tried to ignore the two merfolk.

Elizaveta stopped swimming in circles around her. She went away as if it was no big deal.

"Oh well, we tried, eh? To think that turning human is one of Arthur's specialties..."

Gilbert gave a laugh, if a little hollow. "Well, what d'ya want, it's not like we can force her to come along... I just thought she was in love enough to risk something..."  
>Those words hit Lovina. She turned around just in time to see the two merfolk swimming away.<p>

"... W-WAIT, DAMMIT!"

Gilbert and Elizaveta exchanged a triumphant grin.

* * *

><p>Ludwig and Feli were still around and trying to avoid the irate Sea King when they saw Lovina swim past in the distance, following two merfolk.<p>

Which Ludwig recognized. Gilbert and Elizaveta! The sea warlock's most trusted lackeys! He turned to Feli and without a word, they started following her from a distance.

Ludwig cursed in his mind. If that guy got involved, a huge shitstorm was bound to come their way. And Gilbert... it had been years, at least ten, since he had actually talked to him...

* * *

><p>Arthur was mindlessly grooming his tentacles when he noticed that someone was looking at him from the entrance of his cove. The princess! She had come! His plan was practically halfway done! Revenge was at hand's reach, finally! He tried to contain his wild enthusiasm.<p>

"Oh, look, what have we here! The Princess! It is such a _honour_..."

Lovina swallowed thickly. She swam a bit further in the cave.

"I... it's not like I want to be here or shit! I just want to talk..."

Arthur interrupted her promptly.

"I hear you fell for a landwalker... a human. A beautiful one at that, my compliments. You like brunettes, uh?"

Then Arthur's eyes changed, taking on a more practical look. "But. He's a human, and you're not." And then, he theatrically brought a hand to his forehead. "Oh, if only your worlds weren't so far apart! If you weren't a creature of the sea, and he of the air! If you could stay all day in the sun, just you and him... to be a part of his world... oh, wouldn't it be wonderful?"

Lovina trembled. The guy sure understood what was going through her mind.

"But why would you help me, dammit? You're the sea warlock! You're an outcast! I'm the granddaughter of Neptune!"

Arthur didn't let her words get to him. He simply crawled nearer to her and ravelled his tentacles loosely on her tail.

"But, my poor, sweet child! I feel for you!"

Arthur's tentacles wrapped around Lovina's tail in a more possessive way as he whispered in her ear.

"Always in the cold, always reprimended by that cruel, cruel granddad of yours, never a day warm... just when you go to the surface, and bask in the sun you are truly happy! And now there's another beautiful reason for you to go up there! My sweet, little mermaid! One must really have an heart of stone to not be moved by your tale! And here I am, moved and ready to give you human legs!"

In the background, Elizaveta and Gilbert winced and closed their eyes. Those words, those manipulating turns of phrase... they had heard them so many times...

But it was the first time for Lovina. "... Are you for real, dammit?"

Arthur's smile changed a bit. It became colder, but wider.

"Of course I am, sweetheart! Hear my deal out, will you. I'll give you a potion that will give you human legs for a week. You heard me? A whole week. Now, if in this time, you can make your landwalker fall for you, you'll be a human forever. He'll need to give you a true, loving kiss before the sun sets on the seventh day. Not any kiss, but something that will make you understand the depth of his... feelings." Arthur tried not to give a mocking scoff. _Feelings._ As if landwalkers had them anyway...

Lovina got her hopes up. A week! A whole week! She just needed ten minutes to tell him that she was the girl that saved him, and he would immediately fall in love, and kiss her, and they could...

"BUT, If that doesn't happen, then you'll turn back into a mermaid. From that moment on, I will own you."

Lovina's resolve dampened a bit. Oh. There was the catch. Still, seven days! That was one wonderful, long time to be with Antonio... and he had kissed her hand already, he had to be... well, if not in love, at least a bit interested... it could work...

Arthur's mouth stretched in a triumphant grin. The girl was set in her tracks. She would accept the deal. It was time to talk about payment now.

"But, but, but. You know, you always have to give and take. So, I want something from you as payment for my time. You can't get something without paying, you know?"

Lovina's hopes crumbled. What could she give the warlock? "But I have not..."

A tentacle gagged her for a moment.

"Oh, do not fret, sweetheart. What I want is something that you will never miss, something purely symbolic. Just... your voice."

Lovina's blood froze yet again. Her voice! ?

"A-are you crazy! How will I make him understand who I am if I can't speak! Are you daft?"

Arthur swam really close to Lovina's face. "But you'd still have your looks. Your pretty face, your flowing hair, your beautiful figure! And if that guy doesn't realize you love him, even if you can't speak, then he doesn't love you truly."

Lovina swallowed again. Oh God, oh God, oh God, this was gonna be hard.

Arthur smiled. He got her! Her really was on a roll...

"Well darling, I'm afraid I don't have all day. You have to decide now. Sign this scroll, and you'll be human... just think, all day in the sun. Warm. With your beloved by your side... forever."

Lovina felt a rush of determination. Even without speaking, she would make Antonio realize!

She took a deep, deep breath.

And signed.

* * *

><p>Ludwig and Feli had managed to get in the cave finally, but they had been stopped by the minions.<p>

"Look here, Lizavet! I think we got us two other preys!" Gilbert said happily as he restrained Ludwig.

Elizaveta, who was minding Feli, shrugged. "Oh well, two more couldn't hurt, I'd say..."

Feli was crying. "Ve, please, let us go! We just need to get Lovina, we'll go away soon, I promise!"

Gilbert laughed. "I'm afraid not, missy. You see, your sister will set us free!"

Ludwig growled. Gilbert didn't even recognize him! It was true that he had been a kid when his brother disappeared, but it still really hurt him. He snarled "You are the worst! You know what she's agreed to, and you let her! You're a coward! You've always been!"

Elizaveta's eyes darkened. "What do we care about another stupid mermaid? No one stepped in to save _me_ when I came here! Why should we have pity on her?"

Gilbert instead looked like Ludwig's words had an impact on him.

"Uhm... Lizavet... we could... let them go? Just this once?"

Elizaveta scoffed. "No, Gil. You want to be free or not?"

Gilbert winced. Oh yeah. Freedom. He had already a lot of things planned out for freedom...

"... yes, but... they could help her get to the surface... she'll turn human here, she'll die... that's completely unawesome..."

Suddenly Elizaveta realized something. If the princess died there before getting to the surface, the contract would be void. Which would mean that Arthur would have nothing in his hands to blackmail the King with. And that meant that both her and Gilbert could kiss freedom goodbye. Arthur should have thought about it, but he always got pretty hot-headed when a deal went his way, and it had been decades since he had turned someone human... he would just get carried away and forget that humans can't breath underwater!

"... alright. We're letting you go for this once. And you are never to come back!"

As soon as the two released Ludwig and Feli, they swam as fast as they could to a now human, helpless Lovina, barely managing to get her to the surface before she drowned.

* * *

><p>Lovina thought that she was going to die for sure this time. Arthur had changed her into a human alright, but she was still underwater! That stupid big-browed squid bastard! Without her tail, she would never reach the surface before drowning!<p>

Just when she thought that it was the end, she felt two arms circle her under her armpits, and then someone was swimming her very fast towards the air. She opened her eyes and looked.

Ludwig and Feli! They were swimming her to the surface!

What were they doing there! ? Were they actually helping! ?

And then they broke the surface. Lovina took a long, much needed breath, enjoying the feeling of finally being able to draw one. As Ludwig and Feli helped her getting on the dock, Lovina looked at her waist. And all her worries disappeared. She couldn't believe it. Legs! She had legs! She could walk now! She could stay with Antonio forever! She had to find him, now, and then he'd see her, and understand, and they would be...

"SCREWED! THAT'S WHAT WE ARE!"

Lovina turned sharply to Ludwig. Who looked ready to spontaneously combust.

"Your Majesty, do you realize what you did! You sold your voice to have... legs! _Human legs_! Oh, the King is going to throw a fit! He's going to kill you, and me! LEGS! All for a barbarian, a landwalker... For all that's holy, HOW COULD YOU BE SO STUPID!"

Lovina just listened to his rant. She knew she had done the right thing, but now she felt really guilty thinking of nonno.

And Feli was crying, which didn't help Lovina coping with guilt. "Ve, your beautiful, red, shiny tail! All those scales! Your fins! Ve, Lovi, this is a tragedy! A catastrophe! And you can't even speak! Your beautiful voice! Oh Lord! How could you even think about it, ve!"

Lovina felt really sad now. But when Ludwig started to dive, she frantically jumped on him from the dock, wrapping her arms and legs around him for all she was worth, succesfully hindering him from diving.

Ludwig didn't take it too well. He cried out in exasperation "Your Majesty, get away! We have to tell your grandfather! He can go to the warlock, tell him to undo the deal, and then you will be able to come back and live under the sea like you're supposed to, and you'll be..."

But Feli saw how desperate Lovi's face was getting. She cut in. "... miserable for the rest of your life, ve."

Ludwig threw his arms up in resignation, making Lovina nearly fall off him. "You too, now, Fe- your Majesty? Can't you see in how much trouble we are right now! At least don't encourage her!"

Feli shook her head and said matter-of-factly "We're here now, we have to help Lovi. She's in love, ve."

Ludwig scoffed very loudly and kneaded his eyes with the heels of his hands. What the hell. He just wanted to find out that it was all a nightmare. He was not going to be moved. He was going to call his Majesty and have him know everything, and... and...

And Feli and Lovina were looking pleadingly at him with seal-pup eyes.

Damn.

He bowed his head in defeat.

"... fine."

Both Lovina and Feli hugged him. Though Lovina held a disgusted face for as long as it took.

* * *

><p>Antonio walked to the beach in a foul mood. Why had the girl not showed up yesterday night? She had told him she would! Antonio couldn't let go of a distinct feeling of having missed your great, one, only chance. He sighed and let himself fall back on the sand. He would never see the girl again. He would never know what she looked like, or where she lived, or if she liked tomatoes...<p>

Just then, he sat up straight again and looked at the dock. Where a naked girl was sitting.

He did a double take. A naked girl!

He had to look into that. The weather was hot, true, but it was just too strange. Maybe she was in trouble? He got up and ran towards the dock.

"Hey, miss! Are you okay?"

* * *

><p>Lovina's heart skipped two or twenty beats. She turned around and saw Antonio coming towards her.<p>

Oh God.

Oh God.

Oh holy merciful God.

Antonio had finally reached her, but he was looking to the side and taking off his shirt. Honestly, Lovina never understood why humans covered their bodies with clothing anyway...

But Antonio was giving her his shirt, and looking away. She looked puzzled for a moment, then took the shirt. Just to get out of the impasse.

"Ok! Now that you're dressed, miss, can I tell you that you look... familiar...?"

Lovina turned around, her chest filled with hope. Yes! He had recognized her! She nodded vigorously.

Antonio smiled widely and took her hands. "I knew you would come! Finally I see you! What's your name?"

Lovina looked really excited as she said "...!"

Antonio looked a bit taken aback. Why didn't she speak?

"Uhm... is there a problem, miss?"

Lovina bowed her head in defeat and gestured to her throat.

Antonio's eyes widened in surprise. "You... you can't speak?"

Lovina kept her head bowed down as she shook it no.

Antonio felt a tad bit disappointed. "Oh... then you can't be her... I'm sorry..."

Lovina's head shot up. Dammit! He had to understand! If he didn't, then there would be no more hope for her! She gestured very wildly to make him understand what she had been through, but since she wasn't really good at balance yet, she fell. Antonio managed to catch her before she fell in the water. He gave a sigh, but then smiled. "Well, you look like you've been through a sea of trouble. How about you just rest for a while? If you don't mind, I can take you to my house..."

Lovina blushed really hard and turned her face from Antonio to allow herself a mute celebratory "YES!". Wow. This was one stroke of luck!

"...!"

Antonio cocked his head to the side, not understanding why she was blushing and looking away. Then smiled and said "Ok then! Come this way, girl."

* * *

><p>Feli and Ludwig were watching from the rock as Lovina met her Prince Charming. It seemed to have gone pretty well, since they were walking away hand in hand. Or better, the landwalker had tried to take her hand, and Lovina had fussed and blushed for all she was worth before taking it.<p>

Ludwig shook his head. If the landwalker didn't take Lovina in, then he would have been free to go back to the King and inform him. But nooo, he had to be kind and take her in! With the face of someone walking to the gallows, Ludwig flatly said "This settles it, then. We're in for it."

Feli shrugged. "Ve, if we can't go back to grandpa until he falls for her, then we might as well help her out..."

Ludwig shook his head. "Sure. I'll just stay here with you for a week, then come back as if nothing happened and say 'your Majesty, Princess Lovina fell for a landwalker and now they live happily ever after on land while I did nothing to stop her, in fact I actually helped! Oh, and your other Princess stayed there and helped her out too, and no, of course we're not together! Nothing happened!' He will disembowel me with his trident! And he'll be right!"

Feli looked suddenly sad. "Ve, Ludwig? You don't want to spend a week with me, far from the court? Where we can stay together? Not even for a week?"

Ludwig grunted and looked at the sea. "... it's because I really want to that I'm so conflicted, Feli."

Feli smiled sadly. She entwined their tails and hugged him. "Ve, It's gonna be okay! You'll see! Everything will work out."

Ludwig looked down at his secret lover. "... I really, really hope you're right."

* * *

><p><em>And That, kids, was the third chapter. Which was pretty long. The story is done already, but I keep adding new bits and pieces every day. And I even came up with an epilogue, which was not planned. Oh well. Since I'm reworking it so much, I can't say how long this is gonna be. Though I don't think it will exceed ten chapters anyway. <em>

_Ludwig is so goddamn funny to write when he's frustrated XD_

_Oh well, hope you enjoyed it. _


	4. Chapter IV

Antonio had been a bit surprised by that girl. She seemed to know nothing of the world. She couldn't speak, okay, but the fact that she didn't know that a fork is for eating and not for combing hair, or that she had looked at the pen and paper he had offered her to write out her story as if it was the first time she saw them was goddamn strange. Well, it was not so strange that she was illiterate, there were many people in Spain in the Thirties that were, but the look she had given to the pen, and the wonder when he explained the concept of writing to her. She looked like a real fish out of water. At the beginning he thought that maybe she wasn't the sharpest girl, but her eyes were so alive and full of emotion... she had to be very intelligent. Antonio had to admit that he was really curious about what had happened to her.

Though he was still bitterly disappointed at her not being The Girl. Because that one could speak. And it was Her that saved him from drowning. It was Her who had stolen his heart. Even if this girl did look a bit like her...

Antonio shook his head. He had never really seen The Girl. Just her outline against the blazing sun and her hands in the moonlight. Her body type was the same as the mute girl that was now in his house, but she just couldn't be it... the thing about The Girl was that etherql, otherworldly voice, and the mute one he had found, however cute, was not Her. And he didn't even know her name.

Sighing, he decided to try and "speak" to her again. But since she wasn't in the house, he walked out to the dock, where Lovina liked to sit. Right where they had met the first time. And in fact, there she was, hugging her legs to her chest, her auburn hair loose on her shoulders, her back to him, her eyes probably trained on the water.

"Hey, girl?"

* * *

><p>Lovina had been sitting on the dock. It had been already a day, and not being able to speak to Antonio was proving to be a real pain in her tail. And since sitting around in a tense, uneasy house was not really a hobby of hers, Lovina had gone out to the beach. She had sat down on the dock, where Ludwig and Feli gathered and tried to give her some advice.<p>

"Look your Majesty, just give him a kiss and get this over with!" urged Ludwig.

"Ve, that won't do, he has to be in love for it to work!"

"Oh come on, the guy's a landwalker! How much in love can he fall anyway!"

Lovina really wished she could use a few choice swear words with Ludwig. Why did he seem to think that humans didn't have feelings? She could only send him a very dirty look, hoping he'd get what her thoughts were.

Feli shook her head. "Ludwig, ve, even if he's human, I'm sure he has feelings. And just kissing him won't work, unless he returns Lovina's feelings."

Ludwig didn't lose hope. "Well, then I'll tell you what we can do. We take him, nearly drown him, and then you, your Majesty, save him again. That landwalker seems to have a thing for being rescued anyway."

Feli deadpanned. "Honestly Ludwig, you fail really hard at romance, ve."

Ludwig blushed and ruefully said "Sorry if I just want this mess to be over with! Because if you two haven't noticed yet, this is one hell of a fucking mess we're neck-deep in!"

Lovina had never wanted to say "no shit, bastard" more than that moment.

Feli sighed. "Ludwig, ve, just shut up. Lovina, please, never listen to his advice about love. He has no clue whatsoever."

Ludwig blushed again and let out a frustrated noise.

Lovina tried not to laugh now. One day, she would understand how Feli had gotten that stick-in-the-mud to fall so hard for her. So far, he seemed to not have the faintest idea or concept of love.

"Hey, girl?"

As soon as they heard Antonio's voice in the distance, Feli and Ludwig disappeared underwater as fast as lightning.

Lovina instead got up frantically and turned to Antonio.

"...?"

Antonio really wished he could read her silence.

"Nothing, I just wanted to tell you... uhm... well, before we talk about anything, I need to know your name, right? So, let's say, I'll just say a lot of names and you stop me when I say the right one! Okay?"

Lovina huffed. She nodded to tell him that his idea was not the stupidest she had ever heard.

Antonio smiled at her and started. "So, are you... I don't know, Ana? Marìa? Lucrecia? Mercedes?"

Lovina shook her head, disgusted. Honestly. What the hell names was he thinking? The guy had no hope to ever get hers.

Ludwig decided that he couldn't take more of that pantomime. So he swam with just his head above the water, and safely hidden under the dock, said "Try Lovina."

Antonio heard him, and looked around, trying to find the guy who had spoken. "Lovina...? Did you hear something...?"

Lovina nodded enthusiastically. This oblivious bastard had finally come up with the answer! Honestly, Ludwig was proving to be an asset. It kind of made her angry and happy at the same time.

Seeing her fierce nod, Antonio looked at her quizzically. "Lovina...? Really?"

Lovina nodded again and pointed to herself, mouthing the word "Lovina" very slowly.

Antonio gave a huge smile. "Lovina, then! That's a really cute name!"

Lovina blushed ten different shades of red. "...!"

Antonio kept laughing and circled her shoulders with his arm as they started walking back to the house. "You look like a tomato when you blush, Lovi!"

Lovina turned around for a second to send a grateful scowl at Ludwig. He had been useful now, so she guessed he deserved to know it.

Ludwig allowed himself a smug smile while turning to Feli.

"So, I have no clue whatsoever, don't I?"

Feli simply laughed and hugged him.

* * *

><p>It had been three days. But they had felt really different for the poor creatures that lived through them.<p>

Lovina was elated to be next to Antonio, though she couldn't really show it to him, because she needed to keep some objective thoughts, to see if Antonio was serious about her or not. But on the whole, they had fun. Lovina could not believe how different the world was without water. It was always warm, even at night, and dry! She had lied in the sun, and gone running, and in general enjoying the little Spanish town where Antonio lived, in Galicia. She had learned so many things about the world, and Antonio was nice to her. He worked during the day and part of the night, but when they spent time together, it was always fun. Antonio would take her out to town, to see the breathtaking "churches" and "buildings" that were all over the little city, and once he had brought her horse riding, and that had been one of the funniest, scariest, most fantastic things she had ever done. And the fact that she couldn't speak was not so much of an obstacle anymore...

But then Lovina remembered that she had to focus. It was important. She needed to make sure that Antonio loved her back, or else she would never get to be like this, together, forever. Then, when those anxious thoughts became unbearable, Antonio usually appeared, and he would take her to eat a gelato in the main square with his friends Francis and Belle, so that she could have a break from her thoughts.

Finally, Lovina decided not to rush things. She still had two whole days ahead. And Antonio really did smile at her all the time...

Antonio instead had spent three strange days. Because on the first, after he found out Lovina's name, he had started to really notice her, the way she wasn't so difficult to read, because her eyes were always alight. And when he was working on the beach, Lovina would always come and lie in the sun, and when he waved at her she would blush and look away. So cuuute! And when he came home after work, at nine in the night, Lovina had usually just come home from a walk or something, and he would take her out to town. She seemed to be mesmerized by the old churches and squares of his little town, and she would always point to this or that, wordlessly asking explainations, which Antonio couldn't always give, but he always tried, and they always ended up with a blushing Lovina and him laughing heartily while he compared her to a tomato.

But the way Lovina was getting between him and The Girl saddened him. Now he thought that if he saw Her again, he would not feel the same. And that couldn't happen. The Girl was coming back.

But then Lovina was always there. And even though she didn't say a word, her presence was not easily forgotten.

Antonio suppressed a giggle. She was just so cute when she blushed...! Oh, and she seemed to adore tomatoes, which is always a good thing. If someone likes tomatoes, then they have to be good people, right?

Ludwig on the other hand had been in a constant state of excessive worrying and hopeless advice to Lovina. But Feli was always by his side, worrying about the same things. Just, when the day was over, there was no one to hide from. They could simply sit together on a sumberged rock, forget that Feli was a princess and Ludwig her guardian. They could simply be happy for a while.

King Neptune instead had not been happy at all. He had sent out some guards to look for his grand-daughters and their guardian, and still no news. They had simply disappeared from the face of the ocean. And the last that they saw of him was when he had slapped his beloved Lovina. Feli had cried, he had seen her. And Ludwig's mouth was parted in disappointment. And Lovina...

The King winced. He had to find them. All of them. He had to apologize.

And then of course, Arthur. Arthur had shifted from his triumphant mood to a much more nervous one. Goddamn that mermaid! How could she make that useless landwalker look her way! She couldn't even speak, for God's sake! Damn! He had watched the shift from the first two days to the others with a mixture of horror and incredulity, utterly stupefied at finding out that Lovina hadn't decided to strike a deal only for her unhealthy (and quite frankly disgusting) obsession with a landwalker, but also for the possibility of a life out of the water.

Which was a very bad flaw in his plan.

He had done the same kind of magic on two or three other mermaids, and it always ended up in the way _he _wanted, which meant a broken heart for them and a new minion for him (when he had a use for them, of course). But Lovina was not spending her days pining in solitude, waiting for her lover to come home, always longing to go back to the sea, but always trying to resist, until they found out that life out of the ocean was impossible for them and how strong could the call of the water be, no matter how in love they were. And then Arthur won.

But nooo, Lovina had to enjoy the life out of the water! She spent her time always outside, always running, going around the town, or trying to learn how to cook and clean a house when she had to stay indoors. And when she was with her landwalker she was not clingy and oppressive, and of course that cheerful bastard had to notice, goddamn him to hell and back.

Arthur took a deep breath and tried to think rationally. His plan could not go wrong. But if the princess managed to kiss the guy, then the contract would have been executed and he would have to give back both the voice _and_ ownership of the princess. Which meant that he had zip in his hands. Nothing that could allow him to blackmail the King and get his crown and trident. Shit. Something had to be done. That, or he would have to wait centuries for such a golden opportunity to come his way again.

"Gilbert! Elizaveta!"

The two appeared a little too late for his own liking. He spat furiously

"Why, you bloody wankers, take your time, will you! When I call, you come at once! And now, on to more urgent matters."

Gilbert and Elizaveta exchanged a worried glance. When Arthur had a sudden bad mood, it was always a pain in the tail.

"You two are going to keep an eye on that fucking princess. You check what she does, and try to spoil the mood or whatever you need to do. Do not, under any circumnstance, kill or wound either of them. If you do, the contract is void and so help me, if I have to give up this deal, you can forget about freedom forever! Do I make myself clear?"

Gilbert and Elizaveta swallowed and looked at each other.

Then Elizaveta bowed her head and flatly said "Yes, boss."

* * *

><p><em>Sorry you guys, this took some time because IRL a friend of mine came to visit me in Belgium, and I spent a lot of my waking hours with her. <em>

_So yeah. Another chapter. Hope you'll enjoy it! If you do, drop a review XD_


	5. Chapter V

Lovina was walking around the town. Honestly, land was such a wonderful place. So much sun, so warm, and the humans... there were just so many!

But. Tonight was the last day. Then tomorrow, by sunset, it would all be over. Now, she had to make Antonio realize how much she loved him. She would be getting a kiss tonight or tomorrow, before sunset. At any cost.

* * *

><p>Antonio instead was still conflicted over The Girl, but his Lovina was just so... cute. So, for tonight, he decided that he just wanted to take a cute girl to dance, since the town's fair was on its final night. And since he had a cute girl close at hand, then why waste the possibility?<p>

"Lovina? Are you home?"

Lovina turned around. She was still trying her hand at washing the dishes. "...?"

Antonio smiled. "Oh, there you are. Listen, you wanna come dancing with me tonight? In the main square, there will be music, it will be fun!"

Lovina could not believe her ears. Dancing! Really!

She blushed and nodded.

Antonio beamed. "Then okay! Come, the party already started!"

And it was all fantastic, they had a wonderful night, and they danced so much, even if Lovina had no idea how to. But Antonio never got angry when she stepped on his toes by mistake, and by the end of the night he had managed to teach Lovina the basic moves of _paso doble. _Then they abandoned the fair to walk on the dock where they met, hand in hand, and decided to take a boat ride for the fun of it.

Antonio rowed the boat until they were a bit in the open sea. When he stopped rowing, he noticed that Lovina was looking at the water with a mixture of longing and repulsion. Which seemed strange. Who doesn't like the sea?

"...Lovina? You don't like the water?"

Lovina looked up. She pouted. Oh boy. Explaining the concept without speaking would be a handful. She gestured, trying to convey that she both loved and hated the water.

And the fact that Antonio seemed to grasp it made her hope.

"Oh, I understand! You kinda like it, but you don't love it, right?"

Lovina huffed and nodded. Close enough.

Antonio laughed and poked her cheek. "Lovina, you're just so fun to be around! You're just too cute! Like a tomato!"

Lovina blushed. Always with tomatoes! This guy was really a tomato bastard. To convey that, she gave him a light headbutt to the chest before sitting back in her place, leaving Antonio a laughing mess sitting across the way.

And then she looked at him straight in the eyes.

Antonio didn't really know how to react. Lovina looked so... determined. Like she was trying to say something just with her intense stare.

Antonio swallowed. He opened the first three buttons of his shirt as he said "Man, it's hot in here, eh?"

Lovina huffed, but kept on staring at his eyes. Would he get the message already!

Antonio suddenly thought about The Girl. Lovina was becoming so important to him, and the memory was starting to fade. But he couldn't let himself forget! Because if they ever met again, The Girl would surely steal his heart again, and maybe then he'd have to forget about Lovina...

he shook his head. Now he was here with Lovina. And she looked so beautiful in the moonlit night...

Oh, what the hell.

Antonio suddenly took Lovina's hand.

Lovina's face blazed red.

Antonio started to get really close.

Lovina was going to faint.

He was going to kiss her! She made it!

And then, when they were just a hair's width apart, the boat upturned.

* * *

><p>Gilbert and Elizaveta swiftly swam to deeper waters, leaving behind an upturned boat and two now wet land walkers.<p>

Gilbert sighed. "... you'd think I'd feel more awesome about getting us a step closer to freedom. But I don't."

He still remembered how that blond, yellow-tailed merman had called him a coward. He would never admit it, but that had stung. And the fact that the blond merman had the same piercing blue eyes that his beloved little brother had made him feel completely confused. He felt as if it was his own little West that had called him a coward with such a cruel voice...

Elizaveta stopped for a bit. She turned to look at Gilbert, who looked completely miserable. "I know what you mean. But we have no choice. Until Arthur has our contract, we have to obey. And when we'll be free, we won't have to lure anymore poor merfolk to him, anyway. This is our last job. We have to do it right."

Gilbert started playing mindlessly with his purple fins for something to do. "... what are you going to do when you'll be free, Lizavet?"

Elizaveta looked unsure for a moment. Then swam closer to Gilbert and gave a playful smirk. "I'd really want to see if it's true that you used to have a white tail before Arthur enslaved us!"

Gilbert finally cackled. "Of course I had a white tail! As soon as I'm free, I'll show you!"

Elizaveta laughed and got one of his hands as they started swimming back to Arthur's cavern.

"Yeah, sure. No one has a white tail, Gil. I know you're just kidding, and as soon as we're free, I'll be laughing, ah!"

Gilbert gave one last chuckle. The thought that Lizavet would still be there to check the color of his tail, even when she was free, made him feel all warm and fuzzy inside. "Then it seems that I'll have to change your mind with my awesome tail! And you'll see who laughs, ah!"

* * *

><p>Meanwhile Arthur had not stayed idle. Thankfully, Gilbert and Elizaveta had managed to upturn the boat before something irreparable happened, but still, he had decided to just show up on land, with Lovina's voice, and have Antonio waste his time until it was too late. Seriously, that princess was proving to be just too damn much work.<p>

* * *

><p>Antonio had just gone to the beach for a walk to clear his mind. Yesterday he had been this close to kissing Lovina. And the thought of it made him really restless. Because it meant that he would have to forget about The Girl.<p>

He sighed. It felt a little sad to let Her go, but he could not ignore his feelings anymore. The Girl had had her chance, and she had not taken it by not showing up. Instead Lovina was there beside him everyday...

He sighed again. Today, as soon as he saw Lovina, he would give her the kiss that he owed her. That much was certain.

As he was walking back home, he spotted a girl sitting on the sand on her own. He would have payed her no mind, but then she started singing. But not just any song. A beautiful, otherworldly song. And the voice. That voice. The voice of The Girl! Instantly, he ran to where he saw the girl singing on the shore. If it was Her, then he could talk things over, see what to do, tell Her that he was sorry, but that he couldn't be in love with her anymore, that there was someone else now...

"Miss! Hey miss, do you remember me?"

The girl, who was blond and had rather thick eyebrows, gave him a satisfied, predatory smile.

And that was the last thing Antonio saw and distinctly remembered.

* * *

><p>So that was the reason why Lovina, merely hours before sunset, had walked to the beach and seen Antonio speaking to a girl who had her exact same voice.<p>

Lovina realized immediately. Fear and anxiety gripped her heart and mind. It was Arthur. He looked like a human girl, but that was her voice, for sure. He must have used some sort of spell to make himself look like a human girl, but Lovina could make no mistake. After all, she would recognize her voice anywhere. She ran to them as fast as she could and shoved Arthur well away from Antonio (whose eyes looked a bit hazy and unfocused). Causing him to shout out in surprise and anger.

"Hey! Stay away from her, you crazy bitch!"

Lovina winced as if Antonio had physically hit her and looked at him with hurt in her eyes. Bitch? Antonio had never talked to her like that!

"...!"

Arthur had never wanted to give a maniacal, triumphant laugh more than that moment. But sadly he had to make it go to waste, since he had to keep it bottled up until nightfall. He clung to Antonio's arm and asked him with fake sweetness

"Tony, darling, who is this?"

Lovina winced again. Tony? _Darling_! ?

Antonio looked at Lovina for a moment with his glazed eyes. He seemed to be trying to remember something.

Lovina looked at him, unconsciously holding her breath.

Antonio's eyes didn't change as he said "... I don't really know."

Lovina felt her heart break in her chest. She could feel a lump forming in her throat and tears sting her eyes. What the fuck did he mean, he didn't really know! She had been with him the whole week! She had lived in his house! He had taken her dancing! He had almost kissed her the night before! How could he say that he did not know! Damn, damn, damn! Now she needed her voice more than ever! She had to tell Antonio that that was not The Girl, that she was just a psychotic warlock in disguise! That Lovina herself was The Girl, and would he stop being hung up on that stupid memory and finally look at her and fucking realize it!

Arthur smiled really widely. He tightened his grip around Antonio's arm and said "Then send her away, please? I want to be alone with just you, love..."

Lovina's hands were shaking in anger. Alone with just him? She really didn't think so!

Antonio looked at Lovina, and the disinterest in his eyes felt like a stab right through her chest. It hurt more than being called a crazy bitch.

"Would you go away? I don't know you."

Lovina didn't even try to hold back her tears anymore. She lunged at Antonio and starting punching him in the chest with all her strength, voicelessly screaming a string of obscenities. Son of a bitch! How dare he say that!

Antonio grabbed both her wrists in a tight, painful grip. But what hurt even more were the words he spoke.

"Go away. I don't want to have you around."

Lovina's heart felt like it had stopped. Her chest felt like it was clenched in an iron hand. There was no hope. No hope anymore. No hope whatsoever.

She gave Antonio one last pleading look through her tears.

But Antonio's eyes remained cold, and still strangely foggy.

"...!"

Lovina knew that she had no voice anymore, but she cried a mute "You son of a bitch! I hope you die and rot in hell!" before running away. She ran as fast as her legs could. She ran and ran until she reached her dock, the dock where they met, and let herself fall back on it, crying all her tears.

Until Feli and Ludwig showed up.

Ludwig looked very worried. "Your Majesty, we've seen the landwalker on the boat with someone who has your voice! What does it mean! ?"

But Lovina didn't answer. She simply hugged her legs closer to her chest.

"Ve? Lovi, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" asked Feli, worry evident in her voice.

Lovina couldn't speak, but she kept crying.

Feli climbed the dock and sat down beside Lovina, hugging her.

"Ve, Lovi, don't cry. It's okay. What happened?"

Lovina's sobs didn't stop, even if she did get some sort of comfort from her twin's presence.

"Ve, it's okay. Stop crying, okay? Smile for me, please?"

Meanwhile Ludwig ran his fingers through his hair. This was getting nowhere. That was why Ludwig forcefully grabbed Lovina's feet, gave a hard tug to get her attention and spoke like a drill sergeant in front of a troop of clueless recruits.

"Look, your Majesty, I didn't spend a week stranded on this godforsaken fucking landwalker's village to see you just give up! I didn't risk everything I have, the wrath of the King and my and your sister's ass to see you crying like a fucking two year old on this bloody dock! Whatever happened, you have to make it right! You made it until now, you can make it still! So, I'll tell you what you'll do! You'll get the hell up, you'll dry those pathetic tears, AND YOU'LL LOOK FOR THAT TOMATO BASTARD! You don't have much time left! Stop crying and go RIGHT NOW! Don't make me drag you! And you damn well know I will if you don't go on your own tai- legs! That, or I'll knock some sense into you, and you can bet your ass that even if you are the Princess, it won't be pretty!"

Feli looked as if someone had slapped her in the face. She looked at Ludwig with eyes that could mean either "Ve, Ludwig has really lost it in the end" or "I wish I could ravish him right here on this dock".

Lovina instead was hit by those words. That potato was right. What the hell was she doing crying when she still had a chance to solve the problem? Suddenly she stood up and looked at the sun. Still an hour or so before sunset. Cool. That was all the time she needed.

She dived into the water for the first time in a week and looked at Ludwig with determined eyes.

Ludwig gave a broad smile. "I knew you still had some brains left in that thick skull of yours, your Majesty. I've seen them take the boat, they headed North. Feli will swim you there. I'll go and tell the King what happened."

Lovina cringed at the thought of what nonno would say once he knew what she had done, but nodded in approval. It had to be done. If Arthur was going to get dishonest on her, then nonno would be the only one to be able to do something and stop him. Even if Lovina would be in for the telling off of her life, nonno would surely think of saving her before thinking of how to punish her.

Meanwhile, Feli had hastily swam to her.

"Ve, Lovi, climb on my back! We don't have much time!"

Lovi did as she was told, but before going after Antonio, she looked back at Ludwig.

And she silently held out her right hand.

Ludwig looked at it in sheer amazement and maybe a bit of suspicion, but then smiled broadly and gave her a firm handshake before disappearing under water.

* * *

><p><em>Action! Action! Woohoo! Go get that tomato bastard, Lovi, show him who's boss!<em>


	6. Chapter VI

Feli had swam Lovina to the boat while Ludwig dashed to tell the King what was happening.

"Ve, you're here! Now go!"

Lovina nodded to her sister, gave her a very quick and very embarrassing kiss on the cheek (which left Feli smiling like the carefree fool she was) and climbed on the boat. Antonio didn't even react, his eyes still cold, whereas Arthur did. And he was not pleased. He sprang to his feet, a murderous look in his eyes.

"Not again! You never give up, do you!"

Lovina looked up with fire in her eyes, and without thinking, she tackled Arthur. Arthur was not really used to fighting in human form, so there wasn't much he couldn't do. The princess had moved too fast and had managed to make him lose his footing. And at the moment he fell overboard he noticed to his utmost horror that his necklace, where Lovina's voice was stored, had broken and opened.

And Antonio's eyes were suddenly in focus.

When Lovina felt her voice come back, she could have cried. But she decided to save that for later.

She looked at Antonio, beaming. "Antonio!"

* * *

><p>Antonio's eyes widened. His head was pounding. He remembered being on the beach when he had heard the Girl singing, but now what the hell was he doing on a boat? He remembered nothing of the last hours...<p>

And then he heard that voice say his name...

He looked up. It was Lovina! Lovina could speak! And her voice... but it didn't matter! Lovina was there! Lovina could speak! He had so much to tell her, so much to ask...! He hugged her and said "Lovina! Lovi! _Mi vida_, it was you! It was always you!"

Lovina gave him a half-hearted punch to the shoulder as she laughed. "Of course it was me! You tomato bastard, you had to hear me say it too! You're so oblivious, I swear!"

Antonio looked at her in the eyes, suddenly turning serious.

"Lovi..."

Lovina swallowed. "... Antonio... I..."

And when Antonio closed his eyes and bent his head to finally give Lovina her well-deserved kiss, he heard her give a sharp cry.

"NOOOOOO!"

Antonio suddenly felt Lovina slide from his arms. He opened his eyes in sheer worry and what he saw in front of him was simply unbelievable.

Lovina had fallen on the hard wood on the bottom of the boat.

Because she couldn't stand upright anymore.

Because she had a tail instead of legs.

A long, glittering, scaly fish tail.

Lovina had a fish tail.

Lovina was a mermaid.

Suddenly, a lot of things either made too much sense or none at all.

He was trying to look for something to say, though nothing came to his mind, when he heard a shout.

"IT'S TOO LATE NOW! TOO LATE!"

They were taken from their moment when Arthur, who was now in his normal form, jumped on the boat, took Lovina in his tentacles and spat mockingly "So long, you sodding wanker!" before diving deep in the water.

* * *

><p>Lovina wanted to cry so much. It was all over. All over. What should she do? Nothing. What could she do! Nothing! She was going to become a weed in Arthur's garden, for all eternity! Oh God! And nonno, what would he say? And Ludwig, and Feli, who had risked so much for her! And Antonio, what about him? She could never see him again! She would become a disgusting seaweed in Arthur's cave, she would be enslaved for all eternity! Oh God!<p>

"Oh please stop whining, I'm after a much bigger fish than you!" spat Arthur impatiently.

And then, out of nowhere, Ludwig, Feli and nonno appeared and blocked Arthur's way.

And nonno looked ready to do anything.

He used the most threatening voice he could muster to say

"Arthur! I should have known! Let Lovina go right now!"

Arthur got back in the saddle very fast, mustered a charming smile and swam closer to the King, holding up the contract for the King to see.

"Why Roma, isn't it nice to see you after so long..."

Lovina didn't know what to say. She just said the first things that came through her mind.

"Nonno, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to...!"

One of Arthur's tentacles gagged her, while Arthur gave a crazy smile.

Roma's eyebrows knitted together. He took his trident and swiftly pinned Arthur against a rock. He whispered with pure venom in his voice.

"You let go of my Lovi now, or I will fucking murder you."

Arthur was not scared. He simply shook the contract in his pinned hand. "Not a chance, you bloody bastard. I have a legal contract here! Your grand-daughter belongs to me!"

Roma took the blasted contract and pointed his trident at it.

But it did not break.

Roma's eyes widened. No way...!

Arthur laughed. "Oh my! You didn't believe me when I told you it was perfectly binding, did you? Well, it is. So, now your beloved Lovina will spend all eternity as a weed in my garden, or... I could settle for an exchange... I always had a knack for finding a bargain, you know..."

Roma's eyes widened in understanding. No way! He would not become a slimy, disgusting weed! He would not! No way in hell!

But then he looked at Lovina, who was crying with her face in her hands.

And after a long moment, he sighed. God. He had to save his baby girl. There was no way around it. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

"... I accept."

"IT'S DONE THEN!"

And with that, Roma fell.

* * *

><p>Feli and Ludwig kneeled on the sea bottom, looking at what used to be the mighty King. Ludwig had no words left to say. And Feli neither.<p>

"... your Majesty..."

"Nonno...!"

Lovina was there too. And she looked terribly guilty. Her head shot up to look for Arthur.

"YOU BASTARD!"

She launched at Arthur, but she was no match for him. Arthur had her raveled in tentacles and pinned against a rock before she could do anything.

And now he looked furious. "Do not try that again, you bloody fish! I was kind enough to spare your life, wasn't I?"

Lovina screamed a long string of obscenities at him.

And Arthur was just going to reconsider his kindness, when he felt an harpoon graze his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Antonio had finally found Lovina, and now a big-browed half-squid, half-man had risen from the waters and dragged Lovina along.<p>

Lovina, who happened to have a long fish tail instead of legs.

Lovina, who was a mermaid.

Lovina was a fucking mermaid! That was some big piece of news. He hadn't really thought of it as a possibility. He had never even imagined it in his wildest dreams! Mermaids didn't exist! But Lovina...

Lovina existed.

He had to talk to her, now more than ever. So he dived in the water, just in time to see the squid trying to strangle his Lovina. So he had fired his harpoon at him, but sadly missed. And now two fish people with dark tails were swimming after him.

Gilbert and Elizaveta swam and tried to catch Antonio. And they managed, of course, but then the other princess and her stick-in-the-mud guardian tackled them and started a fight, and the landwalker managed to get to safety on his boat.

Then Arthur decided that both the mermaid and the landwalker were too much of a liability to have around.

And Lovina had sprinted to the surface to talk to Antonio.

* * *

><p><em>Why do all male characters in fairy tales have to screw up big time at least once? XD<em>

_Seriously though, it's pretty much an unwritten rule or something._


	7. Chapter VII

Antonio gasped when Lovina appeared in the water next to his boat. She looked really guilty and on the verge of crying. Again.

"H-hey, you... I'm sorry, dammit, I never wanted this to happen, I swear!"

Antonio swallowed as he reached for her hand. "Lovina, you're a mermaid! Now I understand so many things! I had no idea...!"

Lovina was now crying. "I'm sorry, I'm so stupid, it's all my fault! I just wanted to leave the water, I never meant for this to happen!"

Antonio didn't even think. Lovina was crying and in desperate need of a hug. So he jumped in the water next to Lovina and held her close.

"Come on, now, don't cry. It's okay, we'll make it. We're together, it's going to be okay. I love you."

Lovina was just so happy to hear that, but also terrified. It could lead nowhere now. Nowhere at all. It had just been a stupid mermaid's impossible dream.

"I... dammit, I..."

And then Arthur appeared. With the trident in hand and a vicious grin on his face.

Lovina shrieked in fear and hugged Antonio tighter.

Arthur finally gave an honest-to-God maniacal laugh.

"You guys are so pathetic. You make me laugh. Kiss both your worlds goodbye!"

Then Arthur stabbed his stolen trident through the water, creating a strong wave that separated the couple, sending Antonio towards the shore and Lovina more in the open sea.

Arthur completely ignored Antonio and reached Lovina, a cruel smirk on his face.

Lovina had no idea what to do. She just knew that it was the end.

"You, miss, are the most pig-headed mermaid I ever had to deal with. Just look at what you did! I hope you don't mind if I dispose of you."

Then he aimed the trident to her face.

Lovina simply closed her eyes. It would be over soon.

And then she heard Arthur scream.

Because Antonio had retrieved the harpoon and managed to fire it straight through Arthur's chest.

Arthur had barely enough time to scream before falling. But also enough time for one last tidal wave.

As Arthur's body drifted away in the ocean, Lovina was sent even more in the open sea by the gigantic wave, whereas Antonio was washed ashore.

And then nonno Roma was again King Neptune, the Mighty Emperor of the Oceans, and Gilbert was free, and he did have a white tail after all, and Elizaveta got her green one back, and Ludwig and Feli were just so happy that they all managed to stay alive, and Lovina...

Lovina was nowhere to be seen.

* * *

><p>Lovina had swam back to the beach and had sat down on her rock.<p>

How stupid. How completely stupid.

She had just wanted to live in a warm place. She had never meant for any of that mess to happen. She just wanted to see Antonio smiling at her. To be all day in the sun, together. She now realized that it was not possible. It had never been possible.

Because she was born a mermaid.

And he a human.

* * *

><p>Antonio coughed and sat up on the shore, quickly thanking the heavens for still being alive before frantically looking for Lovina with his eyes. He had to find her. He had to talk to her.<p>

And in the end he saw her. Sitting on a rock, with a long, shiny, crimson tail and fins.

Antonio didn't even think. He just dashed to the water and swam to the rock.

* * *

><p>Lovina had nearly escaped when Antonio's hand had grabbed her fin and used it to get on the rock where she was sitting.<p>

He was out of breath as he spoke.

"Hey, Lovi... I... I think you owe me a bit of back story, now, eh...?"

Lovina hugged her tail tight to her chest and buried her head in it in utter defeat. She groaned and said "Why would you want to know...? Just let it go. Go back and find someone else. I can't be that for you now."

Antonio felt his heart beat in his throat. After all that mess, Lovina wanted him to just let it go? As if! He reached for her hand before speaking again.

"What are you talking about? I don't care if you're a mermaid or a human Lovi, I just want to be with you!"

Lovina shook her head. Why did he have to be so stupid... so blind.

"There is no way in hell. I'm sorry, tomato. This is goodbye."

Antonio cringed, but didn't let go of Lovina's hand. If he did, she would dive, and then he could never see her again! "Like hell! This isn't goodbye at all! Lovina! At least explain!"

Lovina seemed to think about what he had said. Then she gestured for him to come closer.

He did.

"I'm sorry, tomato bastard. But if it's just some back story you want, I can give it you."

Antonio sighed in relief, but didn't let go of her hand. Just in case. He looked at her straight in the eyes and said "Then explain, Lovi. I'm listening."

Lovina sighed really deep. She scooted a little away from Antonio, curled her tail beneath her and looked down. She could not bear to look at him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry. I... I was stupid. I just wanted to enjoy some time in the sun. If you never showed up with that boat of yours, I would have never even dreamt of leaving the sea. I would have been happy with an hour or two up on the surface every day."

Antonio swallowed. "Uhm, should I say sorry...?"

Lovina scoffed. She thought about it for a moment. If Antonio had never showed up, none of this would ever have happened.

But if she never met him...

she let her head sink lower.

"... no. Don't."

she took another deep breath before going on.

"... then you appeared. You would take that boat everyday, and anchor it right where I could see you. You absolute bastard. Way to choose a fucking place!"

Antonio simply chuckled. "Sorry, I had no idea that a mythological creature was looking at me..."

Lovina mindlessly stretched her tail until it touched one of Antonio's legs. He blushed, but didn't get distracted from Lovina's story. He knew the next part.

"And then there was the storm, and I fell overboard..."

Lovina nodded. "... yes. I don't know what possessed me to save a landwalker like you. It's... it's a crime in our world, and my nonno could have had me beheaded if he wished."

Antonio's eyes widened. Beheaded...? Really?

She blushed. "... but I didn't even care. I didn't even think about it. You... you were drowning, and I just couldn't let it happen. I didn't even realize that I was saving you until you were already safe on the shore."

Lovina raveled her tail loosely around one of Antonio's legs. If he wasn't so concentrated on Lovina's story, he'd have noticed how heavy her tail was. But his heart was beating a little faster now.

Lovina went on.

"... and then, you remember that night when you sat on the dock, and I was right under you? When we spoke to each other for the first time?"

Antonio nodded and smiled fondly. Of course he remembered...

"You wouldn't tell me your name, though! I bet you were blushing like a tomato under that dock!"

Lovina blushed. "I wasn't! I... I was..."

Then she bowed her head in defeat. "... alright, I was blushing like no tomorrow. Can we move on now?"

Antonio laughed, squeezed her hand a little tighter and put his other hand on Lovina's tail. He marveled at the smooth feeling of her scales for a moment.

Lovina tried to ignore Antonio's touch.

"Then nothing, my nonno found out that I had saved you and got... uhm... a bit angry. So I went to the sea warlock and asked him a pair of legs in exchange for my voice and a life of servitude if I didn't manage to kiss you in seven days. That's it. You know the rest."

Antonio's cheerful disposition fell a bit as he noticed that Lovina was really close to crying. Now that wouldn't do.

He cupped her cheek with a hand and turned her head so that she was looking at him.

"You did all that for me...?" he asked, a loving smile on his face.

Lovina didn't shy away from Antonio's touch, but she looked away from his eyes.

"... don't get ideas, tomato bastard. I did it because... because..."

Damn. Where's a plausible excuse when you need one?

"... ok, yes, I did it for you. Happy now?" she grumpily admitted.

Antonio hugged her tight. She could hear his smile as he spoke. "Of course I'm happy now! I'm alive, you are too, and we can still see each other! How could I be unhappy?"

Lovina wanted to cry. How could he not understand! In this situation, they couldn't be together! How could he be happy? Did he not realize how things truly were?

"Antonio... get off me, you bastard! This is goodbye, don't you understand?"

Antonio froze and broke the hug. He looked at her as if she had just declared that tomatoes sucked.

"Goodbye! After all we've been through, this is goodbye? I don't think so!"

Lovina looked back at their entwined hands and leg and tail. Antonio would never understand with words. He was too dense for that. She had to make him see reason in another way. She sighed and looked up at him straight in the eyes.

Antonio knew that stare. It was the one she had given him that night, when they had gone for a boat ride and it had upturned...

He couldn't even end his thoughts when Lovina kissed him square on the mouth.

Antonio's arms automatically wrapped around Lovina. Yes! Lovina had seen reason finally! She was staying with him! He was so happy!

And then Lovina hugged him very tight and dived underwater, dragging him along.

* * *

><p>At first, Antonio had not worried about it. If Lovina wanted an underwater kiss, who was he to deny her? But then Antonio's mind reeled as he realized what Lovina was doing. She was not after an underwater kiss. She was holding him underwater. Lovina was trying to drown him.<p>

He broke the kiss and looked at her, panicked. The legends about mermaids were true then! They really seduced men in order to drown and eat them! How could it be! Lovina had saved his life! Lovina had sold her voice just to see him again! She had risked her life for him! It made no sense!

And then he saw that Lovina was not looking at him, but at the bottom of the sea.

That gave him some sort of hope, but it was short-lived, seeing how Lovina was not letting go.

He started to squirm and desperately try to get Lovina's hands off of him, but she was so unbelievably strong...

She raveled her tail way tighter around his legs and dragged him deeper in the sea.

Antonio now kicked and tossed, trying to shake the mermaid off of him. His lungs burned for air...

* * *

><p><em>What can I say? There are people that think "if I can't have himher then no one can"._


	8. Chapter VIII

And then she just brought him back to the surface, where he took the longest, deepest breath he ever had.

Antonio coughed as he grabbed the rock as if it was a lifeline. Lovina had tried to drown him! That was not cute at all! He hacked a bit, trying to understand why. And since he couldn't come up with an answer, he just asked.

"Why did you ...?"

Lovina was still in the water, turning her back to him, and she cut him off. "This is why. You live in the air, and I in the water. You're a cheery bastard that belongs to the land, and I'm just a grumpy mermaid that lives where you can't even breathe. Our worlds are too far apart. There is no place where we can be together on this planet."

She took a staggering breath before saying a hushed "Goodbye, Antonio."

Antonio couldn't believe it. "Lovina! Hey! You can't leave like this! Come back!"

But Lovina had submerged again.

And Antonio could not follow her, however much he wished to.

* * *

><p>Lovina was swimming back home. Now she understood why her nonno was so against contact with the humans. They could not end well. They could never end well. And now Lovina had found out on her own skin and scales.<p>

And the pain was unbearable.

"Lovina!"

Lovina cringed at that voice. It was nonno. She didn't even turn around. She felt too stupid and guilty. She couldn't bear to look at him in the eye. He must be so disappointed...

"... I'm sorry, nonno... I had no..."

But nonno had already swam up to her and given her a very tight hug.

"Lovina! My baby! I'm so sorry about what happened! I never meant to hit you! I'm so sorry! Forgive me. But now it's over, everything will be alright!"

Lovina tried to swallow her tears. "... I'm sorry too. I was stupid."

then she pushed nonno away.

"But no, it will never be alright."

And with that she swam away.

* * *

><p>Feli was really happy that they had managed to stay alive. But also heart-broken about Lovina. She had seen how in love she was with Antonio, and Antonio had saved them from Arthur. And he had told Lovina that he loved her too. And now they could never be together, and it was just too sad.<p>

She looked at Ludwig, who was finally relaxing, liyng on the bottom and letting the current play with his bright yellow fins. Ludwig had a good reason to be smiling. He had managed to talk to his brother again. She didn't really want to distract him with sad thoughts, but she needed to hear his opinion about what to do for Lovi.

"Ve? Ludwig?"

Ludwig opened just one eye. "Yes?"

Feli lied down beside him and said "Ve, do you think that Lovina will ever be alright...?"

Ludwig now opened both eyes. He circled Feli's shoulders with his arm.

"... I don't know. I hope so, but I don't know."

Feli scooted closer to him. "Ve... if it was me, and I were forced to never see you again because of something that I can't change, I would never recover."

Ludwig blushed. "... me too, I guess. But we can't do anything."

Feli sighed. "We have to talk to nonno. Maybe he knows a way..."

* * *

><p>Antonio was sitting on the dock. Again. Honestly, Francis didn't know what was up. Lovina, the mute girl that had been living with him for a week, had disappeared, and now Antonio spent all his free time sitting on that dock. And he had never mentioned Lovina or The Girl that supposedly saved his life in a week.<p>

"Hey, _mon ami. _Here again?"

Antonio looked up. "... oh. Hey Francis. Hi."

Francis sat down beside him. "One day I'm going to understand what's so special about this dock."

Antonio shrugged. "Nothing. It's just the place where I found … her."

Francis sighed. "Antonio, Lovina went away. You told me that she's never coming back. It's not healthy to stay here and pine all the time. I'm sure she wouldn't want that."

Antonio buried his face in his hands. "... I don't care. I love her. I can't stop. Have you ever felt like... like you want something really bad, and when it's in front of you, you just miss your only chance because you're thinking about something else? And then find out that you fucked up really bad, and can never have what you wanted again?"

Francis looked at the sky, leaning back. "Well, I guess it has happened once or twice. But you get over it. It takes a bit of time. You really fell head-over-heels for her, eh?"

Antonio hugged his legs to his chest. "I did. I wish she didn't have to go. I wish I could see her again."

Francis sighed and patted his grieving friend on the back. Ah, _l'amour_... so beautiful, yet so cruel...

"Don't worry, _mon ami_. I saw the way she looked at you. She'll come back, you'll see."

Antonio scoffed. "No, she's not. She can't be back."

Francis didn't lose heart. "Then, if this is so important to you, why don't you go after her? I mean, where could she have gone that you can't?"

Antonio fell back on the wood. "If I could, I would. But I really can't. It's physically impossible for me to go after her."

Francis thought that he was missing a vital piece of info. But Antonio would never explain anything that had to do with Lovina, so he let it go.

"I really don't understand this, Antonio. She looked so in love with you, and she leaves. You look so in love with her, and you don't follow her. I tried, but I really can't make any sense of it."

Antonio looked down at the water.

If only he could breath underwater... if only he could go and look for her... what would he give to see her again, even once... but there was no way... and he didn't know anyone that would give him a fish tail in exchange for his voice, anyway...

Suddenly, the Spaniard stood up. "I can't make any sense of it either."

Then he walked away, leaving a baffled Frenchman in his wake.

* * *

><p>Lovina was still perched on her rock, hidden from human eyes. Antonio was still coming everyday to sit on the dock, even if it had been nearly a month since she had turned back into a mermaid. Antonio was still waiting for Lovina to show up.<p>

But Lovina had to use all her self-control to not do that. She needed to set him free. After a while, if they never saw each other again, Antonio would get over her. And when he did, he would be happy again. He would stop coming to the dock everyday and waste his time there, and he would finally quit his pitiful attempts of looking for her underwater. Lovina raveled her tail around her rock. One day, Antonio would be okay. One day, when he understood that Lovina could never be his, he would look for a human girl to take her place. A girl that could make him forget, and make him happy, and light the shadows on his face. And even if Lovina knew that it was the right thing to do, it still made her chest clench painfully.

Lovina would never be a part of his world.

"See, nonno? Lovina is really, really in love with that human..."

Ludwig nodded. "The Princess is right, your Highness. You know to what lengths she went to just to be with that human."

The King kept an unreadable expression as he looked at his beloved Lovi sitting on a rock and looking with forlorn eyes at the shore.

"... she really does look in love."

Feli nodded. "Ve, nonno... help her. She's unhappy now. She's feeling terrible. And you saw what she did to be with him. Ve, just... if there is something you can do, then do it. Please."

The King hung his head. "... I'm going to miss her so much."

* * *

><p>Lovina didn't understand what was happening. She looked down at her tail, which felt strangely tingly, and saw that it was morphing into a pair of legs. LEGS!<p>

She looked towards her grandpa. Who was still holding the trident that had performed the magic. She gave him the most beaming smile she could manage before jumping in the water and swimming to him. As soon as she reached him, she gave him the tightest hug she could manage. She had neither the time nor the will to be all bashful now. So she said clearly what was on her mind.

"Nonno, thank you, thank you, thank you! I love you!"

Roma hugged her back with as much force, lightly stroking her hair. His voice shook a bit when he spoke.

"I know, Lovi. Just... just be happy, okay? I... I'll still watch over you, you know that?"

Lovina tried and failed to hold back her tears. Nonno had understood! Nonno loved her enough to make her a human! She felt so stupid for ever doubting it now.

"I know, I know! Thank you so much!"

Then she turned to her sister, who was crying. As usual, she thought with a small smile. And when she hugged her, her sobs increased tenfold.

"Come on, don't cry, Feli. It's okay. Thank you so much for everything. You really helped me out. I couldn't have done without you."

"V-ve, you ha-have to be happy now! I... I'll miss you s-so much, vee!" she sobbed in the hug.

Lovina hugged her tighter. "Well, I'll... uhm... kind of... you know... miss you too. You know that, dammit, why do I even bother saying it?"

Then, without breaking the hug, she turned to Ludwig.

Who looked back in utter confusion. What was he supposed to do? What should he say?

Lovina's eyes softened. "And thank you too, Ludwig. You're not too much of a useless stick-in-the-mud. You really helped too. So, uhm... yeah... thanks, I guess."

Ludwig blushed, but allowed himself a smile. "Uhm, you're... you're welcome, I guess..."

Lovina finally let go of her sister. She gave the three merfolk the widest smile she could muster and said "Thank you for everything. I'll never forget it." before swimming towards the shore.

* * *

><p>Antonio was lying around in his house, trying to enjoy a day off work. But he couldn't. There was nothing that seemed enjoyable anymore. Everywhere he looked, everywhere he went there were memories of Lovina. If he went to town, he remembered that that was the bench where Lovina and him used to sit while he tried to explain what a church was for, that one there was the ice-cream shop that Lovina loved so much, that one over there was the square where they had danced together for the first and last time. And so on and so forth.<p>

If he stayed at home, he remembered the pitiful attempts Lovina did with cooking and cleaning. And don't even get him started on the beach.

He sighed and rolled over on the couch, burying his face in the cushions. Shit. It had been a month. He had to accept that Lovina was not in his world anymore. He had tried, he really had, but it seemed useless. There was no way he could forget her.

Antonio snorted.

He had known her for what? A week? And he was already that desperate. He couldn't help but think that if they had had the chance to be together longer, they would have been just so happy. They would have had so many chances of being together, and getting to know each other everyday more, and go through beautiful times, and terrible ones. And now that he knew that Lovina was a mermaid, he wondered how cool it would have been to show her the land. He could have taken her on trips to see Spain, not just the little town where he lived. He could have shown her so many things. Still now, whenever he heard from his parents in Madrid, he couldn't help but think that Lovina would have loved the city. And not only Madrid, but all the other wonderful cities of Spain, like Barcelona, Sevilla, Valencia, the doorbell...

He stopped his train of thought. The doorbell was definitely not a city in Spain.

Then he realized that he had thought of it because someone was insistently ringing it.

He gave the longest whine he could manage, then stood up from the couch and grudgingly went to open the door. And what he saw...

Well, he saw nothing, but he felt his breath being knocked out of his lungs as Lovina simply glomped him and made him fall on the floor. His eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"...Lovina! ? You came back! ?"

Lovina kept hugging him. "Don't get strange ideas, tomato, I just got a pair of legs and I want to use

them!"

Antonio looked at Lovina in wonder. And there, where her red tail used to be, there were two human legs alright. His smile widened and for the first time in weeks, touched his eyes. "Lovina! You're human now! You can stay with me, then! Right? You're here to stay, right? You're not changing back, are you? You'll move back in with me, right?"

Lovina laughed. "Well, it's not like I have anywhere else to be now! And yes, I'm here to stay and mooch off you for the rest of your life!"

Then she straightened her face. She locked eyes with Antonio and simply said

"I love you."

Antonio looked love-struck, dazed and happy at the same time.

"I love you too, Lovi, _mi vida_!"

And they lived happily, grumpily and cheerily ever after.

* * *

><p><em>... as I said, some people are like "if I can't have himher, no one can". But Lovina is not one of them XD I had you worried, didn't I? But hang in there. There's still the fluffy epilogue to upload!_


	9. Epilogue

"Dad, how did you and mom meet?"

Antonio's eyes widened. He looked at the beautiful little girl that he was tucking in bed at a loss for words. He gave a small smile. How indeed.

"Yes dad, tell us! You never did!"

He turned to look at the other child, this one a little boy, whose bed was on the other side of the room.

He smiled and said "Really? I never told you?" knowing the answer all too well.

The boy sat up in his bed. "No, never! Tell us now, now!"

Antonio smiled and inquired "Like a bedtime story?"

The boy's face scrunched. "Nu-uh! We're too old for that! Don't call it that!"

Antonio laughed. "Ok then, this is no bedtime story, just a story that I'm telling you at bedtime. Come here Romano, it's easier if you are in the same bed with Beatriz, no?"

The boy huffed and got up, joining his sister on her bed. Antonio tucked him in too and smiled.

"There. Are you two comfortable?"

Romano nodded, but his sister said "Yes, yes, now tell us, please."

Antonio chuckled and smoothed her auburn hair.

"Ok. Once upon a time..."

Romano cut him off. "Hey! That's a fairytale's beginning!"

Antonio merely shrugged. "I know, but it sounds prettier like that." he turned to Beatriz. "Right, Beatriz?"

The girl nodded. She always did like fairytales...

"Ok. So, once upon a time, there was a boy..."

"Was it you?" asked Romano.

Beatriz snickered. "Of course it was him! Shut up now. Daddy, please, go on?"

Antonio nodded and went on. "So, there was this boy, and yes, it was me. Now, back in the day, when you two weren't even in my thoughts, I used to work as a life-guard, and every day, at lunch time, I used to take my little boat with uncle Francis, so we could have lunch and have fun where no one could bother us. But one day..." Antonio left the sentence hanging, and frowned to add the dramatic effect.

"You met mom!"

interrupted Beatriz.

Antonio chuckled. Then got his serious back on. "No. One day, there was a huge storm, with waves taller than any giant and winds so strong that could make a grown man fly!"

Both children held their breath.

"The wind was so strong that I fell overboard and hit my head against the hull of the boat, and fainted in the water!"

Beatriz looked very worried. "Did you drown! ?"

Romano huffed. "Of course not, silly! He's here now!"

Beatriz stuck his tongue out at him.

Antonio gave his daughter a pat on the hair. "No sweety, I didn't drown. But only because there was someone already in the water, someone that went swimming there everyday, but I had never seen. A girl."

Romano's eyes lit up. "It was mom! Right?"

Antonio whispered "Maybe..." then went on.

"That girl, children, saw that I was nearly drowning. So she saved me, she took me and swam me back ashore. I remember that when I woke up, I heard a girl sing, a girl with the most beautiful voice I had ever heard... but when I opened my eyes, I couldn't see her well, because she was against the sun. I could only hear her voice and see her outline in the blazing sunlight..."

Romano nodded as if he knew where it was going. "Yeah, that was mom."

Antonio didn't lose heart. "But you see, that girl was very shy. So when she heard uncle Francis' voice shouting for me, she ran away before I could see her and ask her name!"

Beatriz's eyes became worried. "Oh no, dad! What did you do then?"

Antonio brought his hand to his forehead in a dramatic gesture.

"Oh, was I lovelorn! For I had fallen in love with that girl, even if I knew nothing of her, not even her face! What could I do? How would I find her again? Where did I have to look?"

Romano snickered. "Dad, that's so sappy!"

Beatriz begged to differ. "No it's not! It's cute! Like a tomato!"

Antonio chuckled. "Thank you, Beatriz. But yes, it was a bit sappy, you know. But then..."

Both children held their breath again. "Then what?"

Antonio's eyes lit up.

"... then, two days later, I found a beautiful girl sitting on the dock. She looked like she had been through a sea of trouble, so I went to her, and saw that her figure looked like the singing girl, but..."

Beatriz smiled. "It was mom, right? She had come back to you! I knew it!"

Romano instead asked "But what?"

Antonio gave a mischievous smile. "... but that girl was mute."

Beatriz sat up in the bed. "Oh no! It wasn't mom then!"

Antonio tried to look very sad for a moment. "Yes baby, that's what I thought. If she was mute, then she couldn't be the girl that saved my life. I was very sad. But that poor, poor girl looked like she needed help anyway. So I took her in."  
>Romano looked confused. "But... but... does mom know?"<p>

Antonio tried really hard not to laugh in his younger child's face. Honestly, it was just so cute...

"Yes, she knows, don't worry. So I took that girl in, and I found out that her name was..."

Romano swallowed. Beatriz brought both hands to her mouth.

"... it was Lovina."

"What! ?" asked the children at the same time.

Antonio chuckled. "That's right. So, I took her to my house. We lived together for a week, and in that time, I fell in love with her. But I didn't realize that yet. Because I was still thinking of the girl that saved my life. I still wanted to see her again..."

Beatriz looked a bit troubled. "... it's better if you don't tell mom that."

Romano seemed to approve. "Yes. But dad, mom was right there! Why did you think of the singing girl again? You must have made her very sad!"

Antonio sighed. Wasn't that right...

"I know kids, but back then, I didn't know yet that I would marry her. I just thought that she was going to stay with me for a while. But then, on the sixth day we were together, I discovered that I really, really loved her."

Beatriz seemed relieved. "I was starting to worry..."

Antonio smiled at her. "But!"

Romano looked really enthralled by the story. There were just so many twists! "But what? What, dad?"

"... but on the seventh day, I went to the beach. And there was a girl singing. With the exact same voice of the singing girl that saved my life!"

Beatriz looked really worried again. "Oh no! Dad! Did you fall in love with her? And mom?"

Antonio frowned, this time for real. He still didn't remember anything of the few hours he had been under Arthur's control. Lovina had told him what had happened, but he couldn't tell the children that. He'd have to come up with a new version from then on. He tried to buy some time while he thought of something that would make sense without telling the children what had really happened.

"No, of course not. I was in love with mom, don't you remember?"

Romano cocked his head to the side. "Yes, but you met the singing girl..."

Antonio sighed. "I know. But you see, I was not in love with her anymore. I was still very grateful to her, though. That's why when I saw her..." uhm. He stopped for a moment. He hoped that what he was going to say next would make sense.

"... when I saw her, I gave her a kiss."

Romano's eyes widened. Beatriz let out a strangled noise.

"Eeeew, that's gross!"

"Daaad! You can't kiss other girls! Only mom!"

Antonio chuckled. "I know, kids. But don't you remember? Lovina was not my wife yet..."

Beatriz puffed her cheeks. "Yes, but she was mom already! And she loved you! I bet she was very angry!"

Antonio sighed. "Oh, yes, she was. Because she had seen me kiss the girl. She came up to us and got really angry. But she couldn't speak, remember? So I didn't know exactly what she wanted to tell me. Because you see, the singing girl that I had found..."

The children looked at each other in confusion. Where was dad going with this?

"... was actually very good at imitating people. She was an enemy of your mom, and she hated her, and wanted to make her miserable! So, when she found out that mom was happily living with me, she wanted to steal me away from her, so that she would be unhappy for the rest of her life!"

Antonio gave himself a mental pat on the back. Now that was a nice way to put it! Bravo, Antonio.

Beatriz looked shocked. "Oh no! She was a witch?"

Romano huffed. "Of course not, witches don't exist! … right?"

Antonio looked at both kids in the eyes with mock intensity before saying a light-hearted "Who knows..."

Then he went on. "Anyway! Mom got very angry, but the fake singing girl took advantage of the fact that she couldn't speak. Mom could not tell me anything, and for a moment there, I thought that if the singing girl had come back to me, then maybe me and Lovina were never meant to be..."

Antonio mentally scoffed. Not really, but he had to make the story flow without mentioning Arthur and mermaids. Besides, he remembered nothing of those moments.

Romano huffed. "Jeez dad, you were stupid."

Antonio laughed. "Yes, I was, but I didn't know yet how it would end back then, did I? So what I did was go off with the fake girl, and leave mom behind. I even took the fake girl on a boat ride that day, before sunset."

Beatriz looked thoughtful for a moment. "She really was a witch, right? She cast a spell on you!"

Antonio was this close to telling her "Yes, indeed." but managed not to.

"No, baby, she was not a witch. She was just very good at imitating voices. But!"

Romano's eyes lit up. Yes! Another "but"!

"But mom had followed us. She knew that the fake girl did not love me, and that I would be unhappy with her. So she swam to our boat, and..."

The children held their breath yet again. Antonio chuckled. He loved to tell them stories. They made such a good audience...

"... and she spoke to me!"

The children looked at each other in confusion.

"But dad, you said mom was mute!" protested Romano.

Antonio smiled. "I was wrong. Apparently, since she went swimming every day, she had caught a bad cold that had made her lose her voice for a week!" He tried not to laugh. That was one lame excuse. But he couldn't tell the kids that mom had sold her voice and her freedom to the sea warlock in order to obtain legs...

Romano and Beatriz exchanged a confused look. "And what did she say, daddy?"

Antonio smiled. "She told me that it was her that had saved me. That I was very stupid for not having realized earlier, and that the fake girl just wanted to make the both of us very unhappy."

Antonio purposefully skipped the part where Lovina had tackled Arthur off the boat and the fight that came later.

Beatriz gave a happy smile. "So it was actually mom that saved you from drowning! I knew it!"

Antonio gave her a pet on the hair. "Yes, baby, it was her. But you know, I didn't care anymore who saved me or not. Because now I could see clearly. Your mom had stayed beside me for a week, and had loved me from the very beginning. Why would I care if she saved my life or not, if she could speak or not? She was my Lovina."

Beatriz looked at him with stars in her eyes. "That's so cute, dad!"

Romano smiled too. "You know, that's a really cool story! All our friends' parents met in such boring ways..."

Antonio chuckled. "I know, right? So, that's it. After a month, I asked mom to marry me. And well, you can guess what she told me..."

Beatriz smiled. "Are you living happily ever after now, dad?"

Romano groaned. Eeeew. His big sister was so sappy...

Antonio smiled and gave each child a kiss on the forehead. "... I think so, baby. Now, good night. Have sweet dreams, sweeties."

* * *

><p>Lovina had been out of the kids' rooms the whole time. When Antonio finally got out, he saw her sitting with her back against the wall, hugging her legs to her chest, like she always did.<p>

He smiled tenderly and sat down on the floor beside her and playfully said "Hey. Did you like my story?"

Lovina gave a small smile. "... it was full of plot holes. Honestly, a cold? Arthur was just good at imitating voices? And what happened to him when I got on the boat? Seriously, tomato. You need some extra classes in story-telling."

Antonio laughed quietly. "But Lovi, I couldn't tell them the real thing, I had to make it up as I went..."

Lovina leaned against him. "... I know."

Antonio circled her shoulders with his arm. "So, do you think we are living happily ever after?"

Lovina blushed. "... damn you. Always trying to make me say corny crap."

Antonio chuckled and nuzzled her neck. "You know, it won't kill you to simply say yes..."

Lovina reached for the hand on her shoulder. "Alright, fine. Let's be corny. Yes. Happy now?"

Antonio pulled her on his lap and buried his face in the crook of her neck. Lovina could feel his smile pressing against her skin as he said "You have no idea."

* * *

><p><em>Et voilà. It's over now. Thanks for having stuck with this story till the end! See you in the next!<em>


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